It's the 50th anniversary of Strunk & White and not everyone's impressed

Pearson has just published a 50th anniversay edition of "The Elements of Style"

Geoffrey K. Pullum, head of linguistics and English language at the University of Edinburgh is not amused. No fence sitting here. The headline of his column: "50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice"

The Elements of Style does not deserve the enormous esteem in which it is held by American college graduates. Its advice ranges from limp platitudes to inconsistent nonsense. Its enormous influence has not improved American students' grasp of English grammar; it has significantly degraded it.